Kumble led by example for India at the MCG on Boxing Day

Anil Kumble's five wickets gave India an encouraging start to the first Test in Melbourne as Australia stumbled from a powerful 135-0 to 337-9 on day one.

Winning the toss on a good wicket, the Aussies prospered initially as Matthew Hayden (124) and Phil Jaques (66) batted smoothly until after lunch.

Finally Kumble (5-84) had Jaques stumped and Zaheer Khan (3-84) also impressed as wickets started to tumble.

Late in the day, Mitchell Johnson and Stuart Clark built a partial recovery.

When Brad Hogg was caught at third slip driving Zaheer, Australia were 312-9 and down to their last two batsmen.

But an unbroken partnership of 25 meant India's bowlers would have to finish off their task on the second morning.

And there may be a hint of frustration for the tourists - Kumble was denied a clear sixth wicket when Johnson gave a bat-pad catch to short-leg only to see umpire Mark Benson decline the appeal.

The critical period of the day came between lunch and tea, after Jaques had been dismissed.

The wicket will deteriorate and it will be very difficult to bat on during that last day Matthew Hayden

Ricky Ponting was bowled by Zaheer, bowling from around the wicket, for four and Michael Hussey fell third ball in the following over, deceived by Kumble's googly.

Australia remained in a healthy state at tea, on 213-3.

But India were now in the game and they dominated the final session despite Johnson and Clark's intervention at the end.

Michael Clarke was caught at second slip off RP Singh before Hayden's Christmas goose was finally cooked when he spooned Zaheer to Sourav Ganguly at mid-on.

Hayden, batting with clinical efficiency, had brought up his century when he cracked a Singh ball for four through the covers in the 43rd over.

The century, his 28th in Tests, was his 19th scored in Australia, surpassing Sir Don Bradman and Ponting with 18 each.

He began his innings with some fortune, twice edging Singh streakily for four, before a cover-drive off the same bowler, also for four, seemed to settle him.

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Ganguly - playing in his 100th Test - was pulled for four, Harbhajan Singh was swept for a fifth boundary, and Zaheer also suffered at the hands of Hayden.

But once the Queensland opener was out of the way, Kumble got to work on the lower order.

Andrew Symonds pulled awkwardly to midwicket, Adam Gilchrist spooned to backward point and Brett Lee fell lbw for a duck to the top-spinner.

Kumble ranked his performance as superior to his 10-74 against Pakistan on a wearing wicket in Delhi in 1999.

"To be honest, it's probably the top of everything," said the 37-year-old.

"To get it on the first day of the Boxing Day Test, the first Test of the series, against Australia, it is a very special one."

The captain, however, said praise must go to all of his bowlers, particularly off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, who conceded just 61 runs off his 20 overs.

We've done exceptionally well after being on the back foot at lunch Anil Kumble

"He bowled well, we bowled well together," Kumble added.

"He kept it tight at one end and I picked up the wickets at the other and I'm sure in the second innings he will be very effective.

"I am very happy with what happened today, and the way we performed after being on the back foot at lunch."

Hayden, meanwhile, predicted a steady deterioration in the wicket.

He said: "I think it's definitely going to be a wicket that will be very hard to score on over the next few days.

"There will be slow conditions and it will be challenging to score runs.

"You will see us really putting the pressure on in the field and really trying to restrict India, that's the way I see it going.